Loss
by StormSurfer
Summary: Sometimes we lose people, sometimes those people are hero's. The members of team JNPR retell of what happened on their mission and do their best to deal with what they have lost.
1. Chapter 1: Nora

So this is my first shot at a fan fiction, I plan on writing more but I'm not sure how frequently my chapters will update or new stories will come out. I can tell you now though I will be finishing this one cause I've had it kicking around in my head for a long time. I'm a very happy person so it will be rare for me to write a sad story like this but once again I wanted to get this out because I thought it was neat little idea. So forgive any errors that I make in this cause once again, I'm new to this ^^u but I hope you enjoy. –SS

Debriefing was a normal thing that all Huntsman and Huntresses do after a mission. It helps to give a detailed report on what happened in the field from the perspective of the Hunters and Huntresses, and for a lot of people it destressed them by talking out what happened on the mission. For team JNPR there mission was to clear out a large group of grim along the coast of a village outside of the walls of vale. The grim count was not supposed to exceed over fifty in number. But something had gone wrong. They had only returned with three members instead of four. The missing party member being Jaune Arc. One after another they had each team member come in and account from their prospective what happened.

Nora: I lost a friend…

"Jaune, next to Ren, was one of the nicest boys I have ever met. He never shrugged me off or told me I was annoying. He would listen to me, discuss games that we both liked, shared in what candy's we liked before Ren would come in and tell us both no. He also loved video games. We would play all the time, Shooters, RPG's, classics, and party games. It didn't matter what it was, he would always do well with strategy and thinking games. We would tie constantly whether it was kill counts or high scores… we would play until Pyrrha came over to tell Jaune he needed to work on his assignments or go up to train. He was funny, kind, silly, but above all honest. Everything he said was sincere, even when he lied it was always for a good reason. When he explained why he was with Cardin and his goon's he told us the blackmail that they had on him. It took us a moment, but we came to accept it and understand. He looked out for us, he always made sure our equipment and supplies were in full stock. He would check over our weapons and make sure they were full of ammo, and that there was spare ammo in our lockers. During team practice he would come up with team attacks that actually worked pretty well, but none of us could ever remember what they were called…Hahahaahaha…ha… it's funny… talking about him like this makes it feel like he's not even gone."

Nora's smile had stopped and her face became riddled with pain.

"But…. He is… We lost Jaune… we were on our mission, out in a village by the sea, we were on a cliff face and we got ambushed by a massive pack of grim… Jaune lead us into formation and we held strong. We fought for what felt like hours. We slowly broke formation… despite Jaune telling us to hold strong. But… I was reckless, I bolted off… I thought I could take out the bulk of grim on my own. I just starting swinging wildly knocking down grim after grim after grim… I could faintly hear Jaune tell Ren to help Pyrrha… but at the time I wasn't sure why; I was just so absorbed by the fight I stopped paying attention to my surroundings. So much so I didn't notice the beowolf that was making a lunge at my back while I was fighting an ursa… but lucky for me Jaune noticed, he came in and blocked it with his shield. But it was so big… Jaune blocked its fangs but couldn't stop its arms from going around the shield. They… they ripped into him, tearing up his arms and back… oh god there was so much blood…"

Nora shuttered… remembering the horror she had witnessed.

"Yet he pressed on. Our noble leader fought on. He watched my back and cut down wave after wave. To keep me safe. To keep his team safe. He fought so that we could live… "

"But… it wasn't enough. It was rainy and slippery and after three hours of fighting we were up against a lone death stalker by the edge of the pickup point… only this one was the biggest I had ever seen. It must have been about the size of a bull head… our Aura's were in the red and we were all exhausted from the battle. The stinger had swiped Ren and I away. Its claws…. They pinned down Pyrrha and were about to crush her… but Jaune wouldn't have that. The monster was just by the cliffs edge and it was injured. Jaune ran in. He dropped his sword and charged at the monster with his shield raised, he was letting out a cry that was as mighty as thunder. He hurdled over the claw that was launched at him and dove at the death stalker with all his might. I could see all his wounds that his aura had mended reopen as he fired himself at it…Out of nowhere there was a huge flash of light and suddenly the monster was pushed back and launched off the cliff. But what we didn't realize was Jaune went down with it…Jaune… he… he knew the risk… despite what everyone says… he isn't dumb… he knew that he would fall with the creature… but to save his friend… his partner… he would had given anything and everything to keep his team safe… and I guess… he did…"

"We lost Jaune that day…"

Tears were rolling down Nora's face.

"They sent out search parties… the looked all around the water… around every shore and even had people check the bottom of area… they found the death stalker… it was impaled on the rocks at the bottom and now there was no more than a large stinger and some bones from it left behind… yet… no Jaune… the people on the boats told us that he was likely carried off by a current, or he merely sunk and drifted off. But they also told us that there was no way he could have survived that fall… not with the rocks that were below…Pyrrha broke down… I was also sobbing…it was my fault. Had I not broken formation… had I listened to him more… had I trusted my leader… I would still have my friend around… my friend Jaune… Jaune I am so so so so so so sorry… Jaune… wherever you are… I… Jaune"

At this point. Nora had collapsed, sobbing, wracked with guilt and pain of the friend she would never again see or hear from…

So did you enjoy it? There's more to come very soon and I can't wait to see the comments on if and how people are liking it. So let me know, write a review PM me if you so desire but overall I hope you have a wonderful day! :D -SS


	2. Chapter 2: Ren

OK WOW. I never even once thought I would get this much positive feedback from just one chapter but hey I did and it's motivated me to crank this bad boy out. I'm doing my best to get the characters to seem like its actually their personalities conveying the story and from different prospectives so once again, new thing I'm trying, hope it goes well ^_^ also thank you to all the new people who just started following me and started following this story. Well. Without further ado, let's get into the feelings shall we?

Ren: I lost a brother…

"Did you know Nora and I were orphans… we were on our own after the grim wiped our town… we lost our home… our family's… everything. They told Nora and I to just run and get away. And so we did. We got out, we cut down several grim on our way out… it's not something a couple of nine year olds should ever have to do… upon being sent to the orphanage they enrolled us into the hunter and huntress programs… it sounded reasonable, learn to fight, be housed and feed and become warriors… it by no means was easy. But we both endured. Eventually we both were skilled enough to apply to Beacon and we were both accepted."

Ren's tired eyes had suddenly seemed to have a slight glow of pride in them.

"Nora and I both didn't have any brothers or sisters… but that changed when we came to Beacon. Upon joining team JNPR, it felt as though we had finally found a home, a place to belong to. We were happy… and no one made us feel more welcomed than Jaune Arc. When I first met Jaune… I didn't think much of him. He was goofy, not terribly skilled in a fight and appeared to do only half decent in his academics. But there was one thing Jaune was happy to do. He asked for help. After the Cardin incident he reached out. He had Pyrrha help him become a strong fighter. Nora had helped him with his workouts. And I helped tutor him in his classes. Through helping him in his studies I learned a lot about Jaune. How brilliant he truly was; after fully reading about topic he could answer questions about it in any form. He begun to get top scores on tests that even made Weiss look on in amazement. He made leaps and bounds in progress when he truly put his all into it."

A smile grew across Ren's face.

"But even beyond all that, despite moving up in the class, getting stronger, and despite all odds becoming a wonderful fighter; He never changed. He was always his silly goofy self. He would humor Nora's wild tales, assist Pyrrha with anything she asked from laundry to workouts, and kept up his smile and positive energy all the while. It was our talk's though that I enjoyed the most. He would talk fondly of his home, his friends, and his dreams. He talked and I listened. I grew to understand Jaune, and slowly I came to respect and appreciate him even further. I learned about how he kept his sword and shield with him because he wanted to make the relic shine with pride once again and to honor his grandfather, despite its simplicity. He told me his goals and dreams that he had hoped to achieve. And lastly he talked about his feelings. He was awkward and unsure about a lot of things in his life. And as he grew more and more comfortable with himself and had built his self-confidence; he realized that he didn't need that 'macho tough guy act' or so he called it. He truly started to mature, and look at those around him. He started telling me about Pyrrha and how amazing she was to him, I tentatively listened to him ramble on and on about how wonderful he found her in terms of her beauty, her kindness, her mannerisms, all the way down to her little habits that even I didn't even notice she did. He slowly came to realize that he loved her. After about four hours of him talking and myself occasionally nodding and saying 'mhm' he decided that after the mission he would tell Pyrrha everything that he felt for her. And I know Pyrrha well enough to know she would have accepted him with open loving arms."

"These talks we had made me feel for the first time in my life I had… a brother. He was… family. Something outside of Nora that I never thought I would have again. He was someone I could turn to and trust in whenever I needed help. Jaune, the only person I could sit in total silence with him in the same room and feel completely at ease. He would read his comic books and I would meditate, and it was simply peace."

Ren's smile. Had gone from one of pleasant recollection. To one of a calm sorrow and pain.

"That however…. All changed during the mission… there must have been over one hundred to two hundred grim. They surrounded us. Jaune told us to form up into a defensive position and endure. Over all it was a solid plan. I would cut open any grim that got to close and use dust rounds take care of any airborne grim, while Jaune and Pyrrha used their shields and swords to parry and attack, all while Nora took out the larger grim that could breech our defenses. After about an hour of fighting we had cleared out about half of the grim that were attacking us. That was when things started to fall apart. Nora got excited and charged out of formation and started attacking. I started to chase after her, making sure she would be alright and provide cover. But Jaune yelled out to stop. I heard a bang of bone hitting metal, an ursa I didn't notice had snuck up behind me. It would have likely hit me into the crowd of grim and I would have been torn apart…But Jaune covered my back. He decapitated the Ursa in a single move and told me to go help Pyrrha. I was looking in Nora's direction to which he simply nodded and dashed off to cover her… that's when I noticed his leg… there was a gash in it. My guess was something snapped at him while we were holding the line… but he fought through it. He covered Nora… got torn up in the process. But he fought on still. After about another hour or so of fighting we had cleared out the last of the grim. We were all exhausted. I had scored a few cuts and bruises. Nora was worn out, aside from a few superficial wounds she was ok. Pyrrha had a pretty nasty cut on her shield arm. Though… it was Jaune that was in the worst shape… a deep cut in his leg. Claw slashes up and down his arms and stomach. And a few scrapes on his face. He was bloodied and hurt… yet he soldiered on. He led us still, told us we were almost done, that we had almost completed our mission, all that was left was for us to be picked up by the cliff side where we were dropped off at…"

Ren paused for a moment, his expression turning grim.

"But then the death stalker came crashing in. it ripped through trees like they were paper. It must have been at least twice the size of the one that we fought during initiation. We were all scared, hurt, tired. Yet he rose, he stood up to the demon and ordered us to fight on. He led us into what I will now…always consider to be the hardest fight of my life. He told me to focus fire on its eyes. And so I did."

Ren simply chuckled, his saddened demeanor not changing.

"And it was working to. I attacked the joints, the eyes. All the vulnerable spots I could get at. Things were almost looking well. Nora was keeping heavy fire and going in for an occasional hard strike. Pyrrha and myself were distracting the creature and attacking its weak spots. And Jaune would block the massive claws that the creature would throw at us. He must have taken about twenty strikes to his shield from that beast…how he took them all and stood his ground will always be a mystery to me; yet we had worn the creature down. It was becoming enraged and its movements wilder. It would swing its tail like a sweeping whip and its claws would pound at the ground with fury. I had been caught by one of the tail sweeps as well as Nora. We were sent flying back. Jaune was knocked back slightly but held his ground. But he ignored his beaten and battered state…and was focused on Pyrrha… the death stalker had pinned her down with one of its claws. I watched him blur forward, his shield started to glow a soft white, but as he rushed the death stalker it became as brighter and more radiant. As Jaune rushed by I could see the anger and determination to save his partner and his battle cry sounded like a blast of thunder. He rammed the creature right in its side and suddenly his shield repelled the creature back. It was sent flying off the cliff with Jaune going down along with it. The Death stalker was likely dead from the sheer damage Jaune's ramming plus what I can only assume was his semblance. The fall had definitely killed it. It was a hundred foot drop into open waters... But Jaune went down with it… the death stalker knocked at the ground as it was falling making the ground at the edge of the cliff give way. He managed to shove Pyrrha out of the way just before falling."

Ren had started shaking, his teeth grit as his hands gripped at edge of the table he was sitting at.

"…Had I only been quicker I could have caught him, I could have shifted the battle differently… I wouldn't have lost my brother… but he's gone now, another loved one who has been taken from me by these bloody monsters…excuse me… I… need to go…"

Ren stood up from his seat and quickly his face seeming to fight off tears that were forming at the edge of his eyes and the anger that was trying to break out of his tight hold on it. Just as Ren made it to the other side of the room behind grit teeth he whispered a barely audible "Damn it!" and connected his fist to the marble wall, the punch was one of pure frustration and great force as his aura flared and left a sizeable dent where his fist was with small cracks forming in the polished rock. He put his hand down by his side and opened the door with his other hand, small trickles of blood started coming off of his knuckles.

Alrighty that was a chapter. I actually had a great time writing this one (as horrible as that sounds.) I've always been interested in Ren as a character in that I feel he notices a lot more than most in terms of things on the battle field, small motions and habits stuff like that. I feel that Ren if he truly cares about something he will talk about it and put in his input and kind of just go on about it, thus all the speaking lines. :P  
also something I kind of wanted to convey in the fic is that they are telling the story through their prospective. Nora focused on what she was doing but because she's Nora she did not pick up on a lot of things that were happening on the battle field cause she kind of rocks the ADHD hard (I had it pretty bad myself when I was young, to some degree still do :P). But I am writing this with the characters feelings in mind and emotions of what they are feeling. So just something to kind of think about.

But ya what do you think thus far? Enjoying it? Write a review to let me know because I have yet to get my mindreading powers. Someday soon though.

Well ill catch you later then have a good one -SS


	3. Chapter 3: Pyrrha

Pyrrha: I Lost my Love

"I've… been alone, for a very long time. Not in the sense of that I have not had people around me, I've had people surrounding me all of my life. No, I've been alone in the sense that people have always wanted my image more than me as a person. I've had producers who want Pyrrha Nikos the star athlete and pride of Mistral. I've had fan boys wanting Pyrrha the red headed bombshell for reasons I'd rather not say. And of course I've had warriors wanting Pyrrha Nikos the invincible woman to finally be able to strike her down and rise to glory and fame… though none of these people actually wanted me. They wanted something I was, or had. And because of that… I distanced myself."

"I actually applied to Beacon to get away from all of that."

"That's when I first saw him, he had just gotten done talking with Ruby as she dashed off. I noticed that he was." Pyrrha took in a breath to try and keep her composure with the person she was talking to."

"Alone."

A small smile broke through on her otherwise somber face

"I was actually envious of him, to be in a completely foreign setting where no one knew who you were nor did they care. That was something I craved for a long time. And while I waited for initiation I was approached time and time again. It varied from people asking why I came here when I had it all in Mistral to autographs to one that happened the most. Partnerships. It varied from person to person, some were arrogant and figured that I was lucky to even have them approach me. Some would suggest pairing up and then ask about my connections. And lastly we had the people who were simply overconfident; so sure in their abilities that they could take down whatever threat came their way through brute strength. Those people were, and I do feel bad for saying this; the easiest to side step and kind of brush off, as cruel as that sounds. I never liked doing it, but if my trainer taught me anything it's that over confidence can cost you the match, and in the case of being a huntress… your life."

"But that's when I met him. He had this demeanor about him that for some reason just drew me in, he came over to flirt with Weiss… well if you could call it flirting really. But it kind of blew up in his face. Honestly, I think he knew it would. He was awkward, clumsy, unrefined."

"But yet, he tried. He would always try to get people to like him, to become a better fighter. There was the Cardin incident, with the blackmail they had on him they really could make him do anything they wanted. But when the time came. For him to decide between right and wrong, he chose right. After he took down the ursa by himself he came to me for help. I was elated to assist him."

Pyrrha's small smile slowly grew in size as her eyes started to mist up

"Once we started training his skills grew in leaps and bounds, he was dedicated, hardworking, and most of all…fun. I learned so much about Jaune from out sparring sessions, too often pass the time while we fought we would share tales from home. That's actually how I found out about his parents, his sisters, and their two dogs (two of his sisters demanded that they get them from the pound). He told me of his sisters and how his parents were the most supportive people you could ever ask for even though Jaune had a hard time learning how to fight. And how he is the middle child of his sisters. How his older sisters would play with him when he was young and how he learned to sew from them. He also told me about how he would play dress up and tea parties with his younger sisters. He also told me that's why he had the dress. They actually put in his luggage when he left saying 'you can't forget this! What if you meet some pretty girl who wants to play dress up!'"

Pyrrha chuckled. Her eyes having a soft look of remembrance

"He was always willing to do whatever was needed, what ever could help us or his friends out. He did the laundry for the dorm and he folded it so neatly and quickly to boot. He would help Ren with the dishes, give Nora pointers on her school work when Ren was exhausted. Do the shopping for the dorm supplies and food, and even help sharpen our weapons."

"But honestly what I treasured absolutely the most about him were our late night talks. They would come in many ways. Sometimes when we got exhausted from training on the roof we would lean against the door and just chat about our families, our past, funny stories as well as sad ones. Sometimes Jaune and I would have a movie night for when Nora dragged Ren off on a 'Not a date date' as she would call it. We would watch movies Jaune says he as seen a hundred times and that I have never heard of; I really haven't watched any movies before meeting Jaune, and because of that he made it his mission to show me the as he dubs, 'The Classics' he would normally choose an action film or some kind of drama. I would often find something more of a romantic comedy, which Jaune said he wasn't a fan of, but would often end up getting more invested in the love life of the characters than I would."

Pyrrha's smile slowly grew a touch sadder and her eyes turned downcast

"He was always a goof ball. That's what Nora liked about him, he could relate with her and indulge her in her tall tales and adventure seeking. Though Jaune was also open for trying new things. The look on Ren's face when Jaune asked to try meditation with him, I have never seen the boy more excited… well for Ren anyways. It was his kindness and thoughtfulness though that made me realized how much I Lo…"

Her words stopped for a second, taking in a deep breath as in fighting something down that she did not want coming out before she continued

"After the dance, we spent a lot more time together, we would go on walks through the garden, visit tourist spots around Vale, take pictures and try out new restaurants. It was actually everything I ever wanted. I… felt like a normal girl. Jaune gave me the gift I was searching so long for, and he did it so effortlessly… he was all I ever wanted…"

Pyrrha's speech stopped and slowly her face transitioned from one of somber yet pleasant reflection into a look of pain and agony.

"And all because of one mission… I lost all of it."

A single tear rolled down the side of her cheek and fell to the floor.

"You know, he told me about the mission, said that he wasn't sure about it…He said that he wasn't something felt off about the grim population, and that made him nervous. He told me we should bring team RWBY along to help with the search and destroy mission. But I encouraged him, I told him that we would be enough to handle it by ourselves, that he was a strong leader who could guide us. He gave me a glance and a smile and thanked me and then we were off. We arrived at the village and helped to set up a perimeter. We helped to prepare walls, take care of anyone who needed assistance after their last grim attack, and provide support were needed. And the end phase of our mission was to wipe out a large section of grim that were last seen in the forest by the cliff face… we all did very well. Nora and Ren helped with repairs, Jaune and I tended to the wounded and later on helped fix the holes in the wall that kept the lesser grim out. After making sure everything was done and complete Jaune asked about the amount of grim that attacked. The village elder said that even though only a few got through the walls, the amount on the other side was akin to a swarm, wave after wave had supposedly hit their defenses. And with the state that the wall was in, we could all believe it."

Pyrrha glanced down her face downdraught and shoulders hunched over, the bags under her eyes beginning to show exactly how little sleep she has gotten since the time of the mission.

"And yet… I encouraged him to push on. I told him that we should go forwards and face the enemy; that everything would be alright. He smiled at me and gave me a nod, he believed in my judgement…so we grabbed our weapons to clear out some of the grim…"

Pyrrha's voice began to crack, regret filling her voice

"We… went out and fought. Cutting down any grim that got in our way, over all things started off so well. Ren worked the smaller grim wiping them out in large numbers, lesser nevermore, small beowolves and the like. Nora took on any larger grim. Jaune and I… fought against any grim that filed towards us. He had grown so much as a fighter… he held his ground, shrugged off powerful attacks as if they were nothing, and cleaved through the grim with tactical strikes… protecting innocent people from large swarms of monsters… he was finally living up to what he wanted to be… the hero…"

"Nora broke formation to go fight some more of the larger grim further ahead. Jaune took off after her and ordered Ren to cover me. In between strikes I would glance over to see how Jaune was doing. I noticed him get attacked by a beowolf that ripped into his sides and legs, yet he fought on, shielding Nora. He always looked out for his friends."

A tear ran down Pyrrha's face as her voice started to give way.

"Jaune took on a number of cuts and bite wounds but he fought on, he fought through the pain… It was all going so well… until the death stalker showed up… it was massive. The largest grim we had ever seen… but despite the uncertainty of if we could win or not, Jaune stood up, we were all tired, hurt, sore, and yet he rose to face it head on. We all caught up and followed his lead. We fought on. Ren attacked the joints and eyes. Nora the heavy plates. Jaune told me to provide cover while he blocked the attacks at Ren and Nora. We fought for what felt like hours against the monster…"

"He took blow after blow, his wound's that his aura had closed ripped open, hits must have been like getting rammed by an ursa. But he fought on. He fought to protect us. Ren and Nora finally started to make progress on hurting the creature, its armor starting to give way after all hits it was taking. Ren managed to take out 2 legs and 4 of its eyes. The creature was very badly damaged and Jaune's scroll told us that the bull head was on its way to extract us. Right when we heard the message the death stalker began to rage and begun using its tail like a whip and caught Ren and Nora in its frenzy. I saw both of them as they collided with a tree, a loud crack that echoed throughout the forest and I knew their auras had just dipped into the red. The death stalker made a charge at me and simply knocked Jaune out of the way using its whole body and knocked him and his shield off to the side."

"Jaune went flying to the ground, I was about to run to him and make sure he was ok… but I should have focused on the grim in front of us, it noticed my moment of hesitation and it swung its pincer at me. I tried to block it with my shield but a cut a beowolf scored on me earlier on made my arm give out. I didn't even notice it was there until the claw connected. As the blow came the gash made my arm buckle from the pain…, the Death stalker grabbed me in one of its claws and pinned me to the ground. The last hit had drained the last of my aura and… I was helpless…It was about to rip into me with its fang when I heard him scream."

The emotional dam that Pyrrha was holding back finally gave way and she broke out into tears. Small streaks trickled down her face at first but slowly they became more rapid as everything she had been holding in had given way.

"He… he… he charged it. He dropped his sword and ran at the monster with his shield. It… erupted into a white light. It was blinding and I watched the grim scream and recoil at it. I knew he poured all of his aura into that attack. He lifted it off the ground with his charge and sent it off the side of the cliff.

"It was reckless and stupid."

"But Jaune knew he had to try… I had to be him who stopped the monster from wiping out his team… He knew what he was doing the second he charged the monster…"

Pyrrha's speech had turned into deep sobs.

"He… he knew it would cost him his life…"

"Jaune fell"

"I tried to pull him back up… I did everything with my polarity that I could… I just didn't have enough aura… I was able to hold his armor for an instant before he merely plummeted into the depths. He wasn't conscious. He passed out from his attack but made I…I tried to dive after him. I went to jump… but Ren grabbed me and pulled me back… he told me I wouldn't be able to save him… I trashed…I screamed… I begged him to let me go… but I realized… Jaune was gone… the only person that truly saw me for me…the only person that I have ever truly… loved…I couldn't save…"

Pyrrha was barely audible between her sobs. Every sound shook her body and made a new tears streak down her face.

"He's dead… I… I got him… I was…Because I…"

"Jaune… why…why did you leave me?!"

"Please… please… don't leave me all alone..."

"Not again…"

Pyrrha had broken. Her heart shattered, she remained sobbing in the chair she was sitting in until she had passed out from exhaustion, it was clear she had not slept for the past few days and it had all finally caught up to her. Her team mates were called down and asked to escort her back to their dorms. The look in both of her teammate's eyes knew that out of all of them, Pyrrha was taking this the hardest.

OOOOOOOOK so explanation time! I had about 75% of this chapter written but then season 3 finale happened and for reasons you all know I lost motivation to write this chapter. Cause oh god… so I'm soooooooo sorry that this is so late, I'm going to try to keep a better schedule about this and you will being seeing more of me in the future.

It also doesn't help that I started up two jobs and that has eaten up all of my time. Kid you not as I'm writing this I'm sitting in my apron and I'm about to jet off to whole foods. So I'm going to try to write a lot more now cause I really do like doing this so I hope to see you all soon. I hope you all have a lovely day and keep on keeping on :P

-SS


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